How to Say Happy Birthday in German

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

The most common ways of wishing “happy birthday” in German are "Alles Gute zum Geburtstag" and “ Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag.” However, there are also other ways to offer birthday wishes in German. Here are several examples you may find useful.

Cheat Sheets

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Basic German

PDF download Download Article
  1. This is the closest translation to “happy birthday” used in German, and it means something along the lines of “all the best for your birthday.” [1]
    • Alles is a pronoun meaning "everything" or "all."
    • Gute is derived from the German adjective "gut," meaning "good," "fine," or "nice."
    • The term zum comes from the German preposition "zu," meaning "to" or "for."
    • Geburtstag means "birthday" in German.
    • Pronounce the entire birthday greeting as ah-less goo-teh tsuhm geh-buhrtz-tahg .
  2. This is an equally common, congratulatory birthday greeting. [2]
    • It can be translated as "heartfelt congratulations for your birthday" or "many happy returns."
    • Herzlichen is derived from the German adjective "herzlich," meaning "heartfelt," "sincere," or "cordial."
    • Glückwunsch means "congratulation."
    • The term zum means "on" or "for," and Geburtstag means "birthday."
    • Pronounce the statement as hairtz-lich("ch" as in "aCH" NOT as in "CHair")-enn glook-vuhnsh tsoom geh-buhrtz-tahg .
    Advertisement
  3. Both are equivalent to saying "happy belated birthday" in English. [3]
    • Nachträglich means "later" or "belated."
    • Herzlichen Glückwunsch nachträglich means "heartfelt congratulations belated." Pronounce it as hairtz-lich("ch" as in "ach" NOT as in "CHair")-enn glook-vuhnsh nach("ch" as in "aCH" NOT as in "CHair")-traygh-lich("ch" as in "aCH" NOT as in "CHair") .
    • "Nachträglich alles Gute zum Geburtstag" means "belated all the best for your birthday." Pronounce it as nach(again as in "aCH")-traygh-lich(again as in "aCH") ah-less goo-teh tsoom geh-buhrtz-tahg .
  4. This is another way of saying "all the best for your birthday." [4]
    • Alles means "all" or "everything," zum means "for," and Geburtstag means "birthday."
    • Das Beste means "the best."
    • Pronounce this sentiment as ah-less dahss behsteh tsoom geh-buhrtz-tahg .
    5. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Longer Birthday Wishes

PDF download Download Article
  1. Use this statement to wish the birthday boy or birthday girl a wonderful day. [5]
    • Wir means "we" in English.
    • Wünschen is a German verb meaning "wish," "want," or "desire."
    • Ihnen is a polite way of saying "you." To make this statement informal or casual, replace Ihnen with Dir, the informal version of "you." Pronounce Dir as deahr .
    • Einen means "one" or "a."
    • Wunderschönen means "lovely," "wonderful," or "beautiful."
    • Tag means "day."
    • You should pronounce this sentence as veer vuhnshen ee-nen aye-nen vuhn-deher-shuhn-nen tahg .
  2. This phrase roughly means, "May your day be filled with love and happiness." [6]
    • Auf means "on" or "upon."
    • Dass is a German conjunction meaning "that" in English.
    • Ihr is a polite way of saying "your." For a more informal way of saying "your," use Dein, pronounced as dine .
    • Tag means "day."
    • Mit means "with."
    • Liebe means love. The term und means "and," and Freude means "joy" or "happiness."
    • The phrase erfüllt ist translates roughly into "filled with."
    • Pronounce the whole thing as owf dahss eer tahg mitt lee-beh oond froy-deh ehr-foolt ist .
  3. This phrase means "Shame we cannot be there to celebrate with you." Use it over the phone, in a greeting card, or in an e-mail when you cannot give the individual birthday wishes in person. [7]
    • Schade means "shame" or "pity."
    • The word dass means "that" and wir means "we."
    • The term nicht means "not," and können means "can."
    • Mitfeiern means "celebrate together."
    • Pronounce the sentiment as shah-deh dahss veer neecht("ch" as in "aCH" NOT as in "CHair" mitt-fy-ehrn keu-nenn .
  4. This question asks, “how is the birthday boy?” or “how is the birthday girl?” [8]
    • Wie geht’s is a German interjection that means "how are you doing?" in English.
    • The term dem means "the."
    • Geburtstagkind can mean either "birthday boy" or "birthday girl."
    • The expression as a whole should be pronounced as vee gates dehm geh-buhrtz-tahg-kint .
  5. This question is used to ask someone's age. [9]
    • Wie means "how" and alt means "old." Bist means "are."
    • The term du means "you." For a more polite form of the word "you," use Sie", prefixed by "sind" instead of "bist", i.e. "Wie alt sind Sie?"
    • Pronounce the entire question as vee ahlt bist due (or "vee ahlt zindt zee")
  6. This sentiment means something along the lines of "much love for your birthday." [10]
    • Alles means "all" or "everything." The phrase "zum Geburtstag" means "for your birthday."
    • Liebe means "love."
    • This sentiment should be pronounced as ah-less lee-beh tsoom geh-buhrtz-tahg .
    7. Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    How do I say "Happiest Birthday to my favorite German" to a girl?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    The closest way to express this would be to say "Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, mein Lieblingsdeutsche." Although "deutsche" has a feminine ending, this is not because you're speaking to a girl. The masculine form of the word "deutsch" refers to the German language, while the feminine form, "deutsche," refers to the German people. The word "Lieblings" means "favorite" when combined with another word. If you simply said "mein Liebling," this would be a term of endearment similar to saying "my darling" in English.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 7 Helpful 7
  • Question
    How do I say "thank you" in German?
    Community Answer
    "Danke" or "Danke schön" - the longer one is more formal. Think "thank you very much" instead of "thanks."
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 3 Helpful 15
  • Question
    How do I say "Happy birthday, my love" in German?
    Community Answer
    "Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, mein/meine Lieber/Liebe" ("mein Lieber" is masculine, "meine Liebe" is feminine).
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 3 Helpful 15
See more answers
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      You Might Also Like

      Heartfelt Birthday Wishes for Friends, Family Members, and Loved Ones
      40+ Professional Happy Birthday Messages to Send to Your Boss, Manager, & More
      90 Cute Quotes, Jokes, & Birthday Wishes for a Baby Boy
      120+ Happy Birthday Prayers to Celebrate Family and Friends
      The Best 10th Birthday Wishes for Children, Grandchildren, & More
      90+ Ways to Say “Happy 16th Birthday!” (Plus Gift Ideas)
      Best Religious Birthday Wishes to Celebrate Friends & Family
      120 Quotes, Jokes, & Birthday Wishes for Your Teacher
      100+ Quotes, Jokes, and Birthday Wishes for Your Grandmother
      110+ Quotes, Prayers, & Birthday Wishes for Your Adult Son
      65+ Funny, Loving, & Unique Birthday Wishes for Your Grandson
      130+ Quotes, Jokes & Birthday Wishes for Your Brother-in-Law
      121 Funny, Loving, & Heartfelt Birthday Wishes for Your Mom
      How to
      Find Out Someone's Birthday
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://langster.org/en/blog/how-to-wish-someone-happy-birthday-in-german-helpful-birthday-related-vocabulary-/
      2. ↑ https://langster.org/en/blog/how-to-wish-someone-happy-birthday-in-german-helpful-birthday-related-vocabulary-/
      3. ↑ https://langster.org/en/blog/how-to-wish-someone-happy-birthday-in-german-helpful-birthday-related-vocabulary-/
      4. ↑ https://www.berlitz.com/blog/happy-birthday-german-song
      5. ↑ https://www.anquotes.com/happy-birthday-german/
      6. ↑ https://www.anquotes.com/happy-birthday-german/
      7. ↑ https://happybirthday4.com/happy-birthday-wishes-german/#Birthday_Wishes_in_German
      8. ↑ https://www.anquotes.com/happy-birthday-german/
      9. ↑ https://www.anquotes.com/happy-birthday-german/
      1. ↑ https://happybirthday4.com/happy-birthday-wishes-german/#Birthday_Wishes_in_German

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      The most common way to say "happy birthday" in German is "Alles Gute zum Geburtstag." Another very common way to wish someone happy birthday is by saying "Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag." If you missed someone's birthday and you want to wish them a belated happy birthday, you can say "Herzlichen Glückwunsch nachträglich" or "Nachträglich alles Gute zum Geburtstag." To learn about more advanced ways to say "happy birthday" in German, read on!

      Did this summary help you?
      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,583,798 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Jo Alex S. G.

        Sep 7, 2019

        "I only knew the basic greeting, and now I've got more alternatives! Being seriously interested in regional ..." more
      More reader stories Hide reader stories
      Share your story

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement